I know this is a bit of a shift from what most of my blogs are about, but it was on my heart ... so here we go! A friend who moved away a few years ago was back in town the other day. We got together so we could chat and our kids could all run through the woods like wild things and get out their energy on the trampoline. As we were catching up, she asked about my experience with foster care. A friend of hers was considering opening her home to a child. Her question to me brought back memories of a challenging time in the life of my family. So I shared, maybe a bit too bluntly and honestly, just how difficult it is to literally invite a difficult situation into your home. While over the years we have had many children stay with us short-term for respite, we did have one child (who I will call “D”) as a part of our family for a summer. It was difficult for my “stuck-with-me-forever-since-birth” son because D wanted to do everything he did. And shadow him around everywhere. And touch all of his things. It was difficult for my husband because being a “substitute father” for things like teaching D to ride a bike ment robbing D’s actual father of that experience. It was difficult for me because I constantly had the feeling my parenting was under the microscope with agency workers, guardian-ad-litems, friends, and family. There were also unique challenges you don’t think of like having to drive 20 minutes into town before bedtime each night on a camping trip so that we could get cell service and D could have his goodnight call with his mom and dad. But while with foster parenting you are inviting a difficult situation into your home, that “difficult situation” is in the package of an actual small human who has not at all chosen to be in this situation. And while I don’t want to gloss over the fact that being a foster parent is hard, it pales in comparison to how hard it is to be a kid in foster care. And that is why we do it. Because if we can be a soft landing even for a short time for a kid who is dealing with and will continue to deal with some very difficult stuff, it is worth it. Even if that means we are inviting “difficult” into our lives so that we can somehow share in and diffuse their difficulty, it is worth it. Galatians 6:2 says “Share one another’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” The parable that Jesus tells about the sheep and the goats gives the impression that feeding and providing clothing and inviting into our homes “the least of these” is really synonymous with doing the same for God himself. Maybe you don’t live in a place where foster care is such a big problem. But I’m sure it won’t take you long to come up with “the least of these” that are within your reach. And maybe you do have a heart for kids in foster care, but would not be able to be foster parents. We are currently serving as part of a care team through our church for a foster family. Maybe you could reach out to a foster family in your area and offer to provide a meal or take a kid to a movie or a playground for an afternoon? D did go back home after a few months with us. We have had the privilege of being able to keep in contact with him and his family. I recently went with him to a WVU basketball game. The attendance at the game was similar to the number of children who are in foster care in our state. It was sobering to look around the arena knowing that fact. Thankfully, D is no longer included in that count. In fact, he doesn’t even remember that he was ever in foster care. But somewhere inside of him, he knows that he can do hard things. And I know that my family and I can do hard things too.
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Do you find it challenging to muster up the motivation to exercise? Maybe you just haven’t found the right fit for you! I find many people that I work with are overwhelmed by all of the exercise options. Or the picture they have in their minds about what it will be like to exercise just feels like a lot! A lot of people pushing exercise programs online are convinced that their particular brand of exercise is THE BEST. That can make you feel like anything else isn’t going to be good enough. For those who are just getting started (or getting started again) with exercise, the best exercise for you is the exercise that you will actually do! I encourage my clients to view this process as a series of experiments. If you try something and you hate it, fine. Try something else! There is sooooo much variety out there! While I can’t promise that you will find something you love (though you might!), surely you can find something you don’t dread. And give yourself permission to start ridiculously small. Anything more than what you are doing right now is a step in the right direction. You literally have the rest of your life to build up from there … unless you never get started! In my private health coaching practice, I help busy Christian moms adopt simple health habits like developing an exercise routine that works for them so they can love the body God gave them and have the energy to be All In for their families. If that sounds like you, use the link on this page to request my complimentary Loving the Body God Gave Me Workbook. This workbook will walk you through exploring some of what scripture says on this topic. By the end you will have developed a simple first step towards caring for your body so that you can best care for the people who mean the most to you. As a health coach, I am often asked about nutritional supplements. Often, when people decide to get serious about their health, one of the first things that comes to mind is getting on a good supplement regimen. Truthfully, I think it is less complicated than that. I believe supplements should be just that … a supplement to an already good diet. You want to be pretty confident that you are getting most of the nutrients you need from the actual foods that you are eating. With the exception of those who are dealing with a specific medical condition, most people are capable of getting all the nutrients they need from their food. I would even suggest that if people are depending on nutritional supplements for their nutrition rather than food, they are most certainly going to come up short. Don’t you just love how God feeds our curiosity by continuing to provide deeper and deeper levels of discovery about how perfectly he has designed our world for us? Nutritional science is a wonderful example of this. In the early 1900s, we discovered that foods contain vitamins. These vitamins are the ones you find on general nutrition labels. Vitamins C, B, D etc. We learned that some diseases like rickets and scurvy were a result of not having enough of some of these vitamins that are found naturally in abundance in fruits and vegetables. But because not everyone had access to fruits and vegetables (think sailors on a ship), it seemed like a good idea to extract these vitamins from their natural source and provide them in a pill form. And that probably was a good idea for those populations … but the discoveries continued. Fast forward a few decades and we discovered antioxidants. Lo and behold, they are found in colorful fruits and veggies … but we also did our best to extract them and sell them in pill form as well. Next were phytochemicals and phytonutrients … guess where you can find them naturally?! We’ve also learned that, in many cases, what different nutrients are packaged with affects how they are absorbed and used in our bodies. A certain vitamin might not mix well with another unless a third is present in the correct ratio, for example. When we manufactured them and put them together in a lab sometimes they actually had detrimental effects because of what we put together or left out. Thankfully, God got it right when he made the foods that we are supposed to be eating. And all of that is probably just the beginning! What will we discover in the next few decades that will continue to build on what we already know? Another way of saying that ... what isn't in our supplements yet that we will discover down the road?! The bottom line for me is that God packaged our nutrients in amazing ways that we don’t even fully understand yet. And the best way to get them is … surprise, surprise … eating a variety of whole fruits and veggies. In my private health coaching practice, I help busy Christian moms adopt simple health habits so they can love the body God gave them and have the energy to be All In for their families. Finding ways to incorporate more fruits and veggies is often one of the habits we explore together. If that sounds like you, use the link on this page to request my complimentary Loving the Body God Gave Me Workbook. This workbook will walk you through exploring some of what scripture says on this topic. By the end you will have developed a simple first step towards caring for your body so that you can best care for the people who mean the most to you. Photo by Thomas Le on Unsplash It is the time of year for dreaming big about what is to come in the next year. While I do love the “dreaming big” part, does anyone else struggle with coming off of a busy holiday season just to be expected to jump right into making big habit changes? Those changes take energy. I still haven’t recovered from December! I think I noticed for the first time last year how God built into creation a season of rest. Every winter everything slows down. Trees stop growing. Many animals slow their metabolism so much they don’t even need to eat. It is dark much more of the day. Maybe I should take the hint and slow down my own pace a bit! Wasn’t it Jesus that said “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”? How deeply do I feel that “weary and burdened” come January!! As a health coach, sometimes the goals that I work with clients on are less about being productive and more about being mindful and intentional. Sometimes the goals are specifically about rest and quality sleep. Sometimes they are about strengthening their spiritual foundation before they jump into their physical goals. Almost always I am helping people to take their big goals and identify the next simple step in the journey. In my private health coaching practice, I help busy Christian moms adopt simple health habits so they can love the body God gave them and have the energy to be All In for their families. If that sounds like you, use the link on this page to request my complimentary Loving the Body God Gave Me Workbook. This workbook will walk you through exploring some of what scripture says on this topic.. By the end you will have developed a simple first step towards caring for your body so that you can best care for the people who mean the most to you. Health Coaching is a relatively new profession in the healthcare space. I find that many people don’t really understand what health coaches do. According to the relatively new National Board that certifies Health Coaches, “Effective health coaches help clients set realistic and achievable wellness goals. They collaborate with clients to develop personalized action plans, breaking down long-term objectives into smaller, manageable steps to foster progress and success.” - NBC-HWC I like to explain it using the analogy of a road trip. Health coaches are skilled in and trained to encourage and support people who are on a health journey from where they currently find themselves to where they know they can be. Health coaches help clients to envision the possibilities with their health and chart a course to take them there. The client’s own strengths, values, and resources define the path they will take, while a coach provides evidence-based guide rails … and often some fuel for the motivational fire! In my private health coaching practice, I primarily help busy moms adopt simple, sustainable health habits so they can feel good in their bodies and have the energy to be fully present with their kids. If that sounds like you, enter your contact information on the right side of this page to request my complimentary 7 Day Energy Reboot Workbook. This workbook contains 7 days worth of simple tips and strategies to get you started on your journey toward more energy and being the calm, present person that you want to be for the people most important to you. I’ll be leading a new small group using this workbook starting October 22nd, and I will give you more information about how to join that group if you are interested. Have you heard about the Blue Zones? If not, check out the new docuseries about them on Netflix. My son and I have been enjoying it. It reminded me again of what a difference it makes when you feel like you have a strong purpose for your life. I’ve heard it said along the lines of bringing something to the world that you contribute rather than just being a consumer all the time. For some it is art or writing. For me it is my family and the encouragement that I provide my clients and the support I give to kids and families involved in foster care. Having a purpose gives you a reason to care for yourself! It gives a deeper layer of importance to what otherwise might feel self-indulgent. In my private health coaching practice, I work with busy women who do ALL.THE.THINGS ... and then end up feeling used up and exhausted by dinnertime. They are frazzled and stressed when they want to be present and enjoyable company for their favorite people. We work to identify the deeper purposes that provide the motivation to incorporate energy boosting strategies. If that sounds like you, enter your information on the right to receive my complimentary 7 Day Energy Reboot Workbook. This workbook contains 7 days worth of simple tips and strategies to get you started on your journey toward more energy and being the calm, present person that you want to be for the people most important to you. What will you think about the decisions you made today, tomorrow? Will your tomorrow-self be thankful for the choices you made today? It’s easy to pick the thing that feels good for the next 10 minutes … screen time, indulgent foods, comfort zones. But tomorrow, or even 10 minutes from now, it doesn’t feel good to be disappointed, frustrated, or uncomfortable. What would happen to your choices right now if you get into the habit of checking in with your tomorrow-self when you make a decision? Will what you are grabbing to eat give you sustainable energy? WIll how you are spending your time right now get you closer to where you want to be tomorrow?
In my private health coaching practice, I work with busy women who do ALL.THE.THINGS ... and then end up feeling used up and exhausted by dinnertime. They need to come up with simple strategies and habits that will fill their cups with energy so they can have the presense and clarity of mind after the have-to-dos to actually enjoy and be present for their families and to pursue their passions. Having habits in place like checking-in with your tomorrow-self when making a decision can help! If that sounds like you, enter your contact information on the right side of this page to request my 7 Day Energy Reboot Workbook. This workbook contains 7 days worth of simple tips and strategies to get you started on your journey toward more energy and being the calm, present person that you want to be for the people most important to you. Habit change is not easy. It takes time, intentionality, and persistence to rewire the automatic channels in our brains. It helps to enjoy the process and celebrate milestones along the journey even if you haven’t arrived at your “destination” yet. I encourage this principle a lot in my coaching practice with clients. And recently, I’ve had to realize that the same principles seem to apply as I am building my private coaching practice. In the same way I encourage my clients to experiment with different strategies and learn from setbacks, I have had to do that in my business. And sometimes in coaching I am encouraging people that what they are doing is working … it just takes more time and consistency. The same applies to my business. So, even though I haven’t had a single person sign up to work with me because of the TotTreks, I find that I enjoy them and more and more people are enjoying them too. So, I’ll stick with that and see what comes of it down the road. Even if your new exercise program isn’t showing you the weight loss you were expecting, you know it makes you feel better later in the day … so stick with it and see what comes of it down the road. As a board certified health coach myself, I work with busy women who do ALL.THE.THINGS ... and then end up feeling used up and exhausted by dinnertime. They want to have the energy after the have-to-dos to actually enjoy and be present for their families and to pursue their passions. Long term habit changes that result in more energy don’t happen overnight and having the encouragement of a health coach in your corner can make a difference in being persistent. If that sounds like you, contact me using the button below and I'll send you a link so you can schedule a free 15-minute Discovery Call. On that call we can chat about the changes you would like to see with your health, energy, and presence and we can discover together if coaching with me would be a good fit for you. I had my first phone call with my new health coach the other day. Even as I guide and encourage people in their health journeys, I have areas in my own life that I want to improve. Her outside view into my circumstances, and the simple fact that she is going to check in with me again next week, keeps me moving forward on my own journey toward greater wellness and energy. Health coaching is growing in prominence and respect in the medical community. Two years ago, a podcast aired discussing The Evolution of Wellness Coaching. The conversation covers the fundamental tenets of coaching, the coaching relationship and how this can result in superior health behavior change outcomes at lower costs than traditional medical interventions. While I am not in a position to really warrant traditional medical interventions, I know that I have not “arrived” with my own health habits. I look forward to having my coach’s encouragement, accountability, and support for the next few months. As a board certified health coach myself, I work with busy women who do ALL.THE.THINGS ... and then end up feeling used up and exhausted by dinnertime. They want to have the energy after the have-to-dos to actually enjoy and be present for their families and to pursue their passions. Having the outside view and accountability of a health coach can make a big difference! If that sounds like you, contact me using the button below and we can see what working with a health coach will provide you so that you have the energy now and far into the future for the things that matter most! I had the privilege of speaking at three different MOPS groups over the past few weeks. If you are not familiar with MOPS, it is a 50-year-old organization of thousands of groups of moms meeting around the world. One of the main purposes of the organization is to connect moms with each other in what has the potential to be a very isolating time in their lives. Because I started an online group during COVID, it has been a while since I have been to a live group with moms sitting next to each other connecting over the table. It was so fun for me! Not only did I have the opportunity to pour into these precious ladies through leading a conversation about self-care, but I also got to just hang out with them and feel the community and support that are so evident when MOPS ladies meet together. In my coaching calls with clients, at the beginning we like to identify supports and environments that they can lean on while making health habit changes. Typically, the “supports” are really just supportive people. The people a person feels are on their team and will encourage them in their health journey. Making a change is not easy, and having someone in your corner cheering you on can make such a difference! So, who is in your corner? Who are the people who want the best for you? Who are the people you can count on to encourage you toward your goals? Part of my job as a health coach is being a part of that support system. Having someone with an outsider’s perspective who can hold you accountable can help you make the shift from “I know I should” … to “Here I go!!” In my private coaching practice, I join the support team for busy women who do ALL.THE.THINGS ... but then end up feeling used up and exhausted by dinnertime. They want to have the energy after the have-to-dos to actually enjoy and be present for their people and to pursue their passions. If that sounds like you, click on the button below to schedule a complimentary 15 minute Energy Reboot Strategy Session and we can work together to develop new healthy self-care habits with the support of your team so that you have the energy for the things that matter most! |
AuthorKatie Kolb - Health Coach Archives
April 2024
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